India is home to approximately two crore pet dogs. The value of food they consume is to the tune of ₹1,200 crore annually and it is growing at a healthy pace, according to Jiyaul Hoque, Country Manager, Pedigree, an animal feed company.

About 19 million other domestic pets are also currently kept in homes. Annually, about 6 lakh more are being adopted. The market is growing at 13.9 percent annually and will be worth roughly $430 million or ₹278 crore by 2020.

Growing market

India is one of the fastest growing pet care markets in the world. Growth is recorded in all categories, including pet food, pet pharmaceuticals, grooming, toys and accessories.

The key drivers of this growth are urbanisation, rise in nuclear families, changing perceptions towards pets and pet owners, said experts at a curtain raiser meet on Petex India ’19 meet in Hyderabad.

Petex India is considered the country’s largest exhibition on pet care products and display of animals. This time, the event will be held at the Hitex Exhibition Centre here on November 1-3.

Three events will be held in one place. They are one-stop expo for pet industry in India; the Asia Pacific & HyCan International Championship Dog Shows; and FCI Cat Show. The event is being jointly organized by Hitex, Hyderabad Canine Club and Petex India.

The show will showcase 500-plus dogs of more than 50 breeds and rare breeds, both Indian and foreign. Nearly 200 cats will also be on display. Incidentally, it is also the silver jubilee year of the Hyderabad Canine Club.

Dogs most popular

In India, dogs are more popular as pets than cats, birds, fish etc. Therefore, the dog food segment is expected to continue its dominance as the largest revenue contributor, followed by cat and fish food segments, the experts said. Pet care brands are introducing different specialised pet food products that are rich in vitamins and minerals.

With the pet care markets in Europe and North America headed for saturation, Asia (with potential markets like India) is witnessing the entry of major international brands. A number of Indian brands are also scaling up to meet the demand.

Among the experts who spoke at the curtain raiser event were Subhash Babu, President, Hyderabad Canine Club; Shaquib Pathan of Feline Club of India, and Sambit Mund of Hitex.

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